Orvieto, Italy

Orvieto, Italy, Tourist Information.

Orvieto, Italy occupies a unique location atop a tufa plateau, technically a volcanic
butte, in the region of Umbria, Italy. Any visitor to this
part of Italy should on no account miss the opportunity to visit Orvieto.
The plateau has been a centre of human creativity since at least
Etruscan times but its crowning glory is its Duomo or Cathedral, and in
particular the Gothic façade which is one of the great masterpieces of the Late Middle Ages. The three-gable design is attributed to Maitani, who
was clearly influenced by the design of the façade in Tuscan Gothic style of Giovanni Pisano's
Sienna Cathedral and the design of the façade of the Florence Cathedral by Arnolfo di Cambio. The
duomo is composed of a nave with six bays and two aisles, and is cruciform in shape.
While uncluttered and spacious in its first impression, the interior is
as interesting as the exterior, decorated with, among many other great
works of art, very fine gothic frescoes.